More Mexican wolves in Southwest

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Federal officials said Friday there are more Mexican gray wolves in the wild in the Southwest than there have been in each of the past five years, giving a glimmer of hope to a program that has been struggling to return the endangered animals to their historic range.

The annual survey results were released by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service after months of tracking the animals on the ground and from the air during helicopter and plane surveys done last month.